Police standoff snarls traffic on Highway 99

Thursday

Feb 28, 2013 at 12:01 AMFeb 28, 2013 at 8:04 AM

A police standoff that snarled freeway traffic for hours ended when authorities took a suspected gunman into custody about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Jodie Estarziau, a spokesman for the Manteca Police Department. Estarziau said the alleged gunman shot a man and fired at police officers before barricading himself in a tanker truck, beginning a standoff that lasted more than four hours.

By Jason Anderson

A police standoff that snarled freeway traffic for hours ended when authorities took a suspected gunman into custody about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday, said Sgt. Jodie Estarziau, a spokesman for the Manteca Police Department. Estarziau said the alleged gunman shot a man and fired at police officers before barricading himself in a tanker truck, beginning a standoff that lasted more than four hours.

Police initially responded to a report that a vehicle had crashed into a propane tank about 6:25 p.m. at Van Unen Miersma Propane, Inc., which is located at 20504 South 99 Frontage Road in Ripon. Before officers arrived, authorities received additional reports that someone had been shot at that location, Estarziau said.

When they arrived, authorities located a victim suffering from a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, Estarziau said. The gunman pointed a handgun at officers, who then fired shots at the man, Estarziau said. It was not immediately known whether the man was struck, but no officers were injured, Estarziau said.

The man fled into the cab of a tanker truck and barricaded himself inside, Estarziau said. Representatives of the Manteca Police Department, San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office and California Highway Patrol converged on the scene. Given the possibility of more gunfire and the presence of flammable propane, authorities closed northbound and southbound lanes of Highway 99 for more than three hours, leaving hundreds of motorists stranded, Estarziau said.

Authorities were able to establish a dialogue with the gunman, who finally surrendered after about an hour of negotiations, Estarziau said.

The names of the gunman and the officers involved in the shooting were not available Wednesday night, Estarziau said.